A coalition of religious leaders, campaigners and Tory activists have warned that introducing tax breaks for married couples will be no more than an "empty gesture" unless they are more generous than the £150 a year transferable allowance proposed by the Prime Minister.
In a letter to the Sunday Telegraph, the signatories warned that marriage tax breaks were needed to "counter the devastating trend of family breakdown", which costs the taxpayer around £46 billion a year.
It added: "We urge all political parties to back the new transferable tax allowance and go further by ensuring that it cannot be dismissed as an empty gesture, because it has been set at the low level of £150.
"To be meaningful it must be paid at a higher rate even if this meant a phased introduction or application of other conditions."